1. Writing is the foundation for everything.

When he was in his twenties, Quentin worked at a video store called Video Archives for over four years. While working there, he made a feature film during his time off. He would save money to rent film equipment, and then film as much as possible during the weekend. Then he would save up more money to keep making his movie.

As he finished his movie, he realized that he did not spend enough time working on the writing. The story was a mess, so the movie was a mess. In his own words, Quentin says “I failed, but learned how to make a movie.” That was his film school.

In the end, the footage he shot was turned into guitar picks and never saw the light of day. But he learned a ton and realized that he needed to start with solid writing. As a result, writing is now the foundation for all of his work.

Can you say the same for your own work? Is writing really the foundation for what you are doing?

2. Know each of your characters intimately.

When you are writing, it is important to know each character really well. Every character has a backstory. Quentin will often write out that backstory in a screenplay even if he knows it won’t be shown on the movie screen. He writes what would make the screenplay a good read.

For example, in the Kill Bill screenplay, there’s a sequence where The Bride drives to Texas in search of a rock with an X on it marking her stash of passports and supplies. Tarantino says, “If The Bride does not find the rock, she just assumes her quest for revenge is not meant to be.” But in the screenplay, The Bride finds the rock, and this scene solidifies that she will seek revenge on those who tried to kill her.

Again, this entire passage is in the screenplay, but it is not in the movie. Tarantino never hesitates to really dig deep into each character. He knows their motivations, their likes and dislikes. Most importantly, he knows each character’s origin story.

This element of backstory is really easy for many writers to overlook. However, if you want to write like Quentin Tarantino, you need to have a real grasp on each of your characters and not skim over backstory.

3. Use simple tools to write.

Tarantino doesn’t use a computer. He doesn’t even use a typewriter. Instead, he writes in notebooks and is very methodical about it.

“My ritual is, I never use a typewriter or computer. I just write it all by hand. It’s a ceremony. I go to a stationery store and buy a notebook — and I don’t buy like 10. I just buy one and then fill it up. Then I buy a bunch of red felt pens and a bunch of black ones, and I’m like, ‘These are the pens I’m going to write Kill Bill with.’ ”

Through the use of simple tools, Tarantino avoids distraction and has clarity. It’s worth noting that he never graduated from high school, so it is very possible that he does not know how to type and/or doesn’t want to learn how to type.

The takeaway from this is to use whatever tools you have at your disposal. Instead of spending your time on the newest bright and shiny tool out there, why not spend time putting words on the page?

4. Tell your story organically.

Tarantino does not use outlines. He will even go into a story not knowing how it’s going to end. In his latest movie, the Hateful Eight, when he wrote the screenplay, he did not know who poisoned the coffee. This is a major part of the movie. In his words, “I didn’t know who did it. I wanted to find out as the viewer would find out.”

It is easy for many writers to overanalyze and overthink a story. It’s easy to get distracted by all of the different information out there about outlining and plotting.

Tarantino believes that the ending is going to be pretty obvious once you really dive into the story. Remember, the story is character driven. The characters take over, so planning isn’t as important.

In Tarantino’s words about endings he says, “You know with a movie like Kill Bill, you’re going to have to Kill Bill, right?”

Remember, a good story unfolds in a natural way. That’s what draws the audience in and keeps them engaged.

If you take a look at Pulp Fiction, you can see how Tarantino achieved this goal, even with the nonlinear structure and three protagonists. The story simply unfolded before your eyes. Out of order, in order, it doesn’t really matter. The story absolutely works.

What if some of the time we writers spend reading or learning about different outlining approaches is really procrastination from actually writing a story?

5. Use humor and dialogue to your advantage.

When you look at Tarantino’s writing, you also have to look at the way he writes dialogue. Tarantino is really been inspired by the comedian Richard Pryor. Another major influence is the 70’s b-movie Switchblade Sisters. Allow me to quote a few lines from Pulp Fiction.

Remember, this is the introduction to these two characters as well. There is a rhythm and a flow to how Tarantino writes dialogue. It’s authentic and just naturally interesting. Don’t overlook the power of dialogue.

One of the most powerful things you can do to write better dialogue is to watch movies with the subtitles turned on. It takes time to write good, believable dialogue. Read screenplays. Read novels. Analyze them, and pick them apart. The more you submerge yourself in good dialogue, the better your own dialogue will be.

6. Know your influences.

Tarantino considers himself to be more of a novelist than a screenwriter. That’s how he approaches his work. Novelists quite often use non-linear story structure, so it’s no surprise that many of Tarantino’s films use this technique.

Elmore Leonard is a major source of inspiration for Tarantino. Once you know this, it’s easy to see the direct correlation. Leonard wrote crime novels and westerns. Tarantino even directed and wrote the screenplay for Jackie Brown which is based on the Leonard novel Rum Punch.

While Tarantino cites inspiration from crime novels and crime films, he has also been inspired by authors like J.D. Salinger. In a 1994 interview with David Wild, Tarantino spoke on how J. D. Salinger influenced the anthology format of Pulp Fiction, “When you read his Glass family stories, they all add up to one big story. That was the biggest example for me.”

Don’t be afraid to explore your “creative family tree” like Tarantino. Take a few minutes to jot down some of the authors, books, and films that have inspired you.

7. Know your audience.

Tarantino knows what he wants and is crystal clear about it. He makes a movie that he will enjoy. His ideal audience is himself and he knows it. In his words, “He makes genre pieces” so he knows his movies aren’t for everyone. And he’s absolutely fine with that.

That’s like a masterclass in how to handle haters. No matter what you do, no matter what you create, you will likely offend someone.

8. Have clear writing goals.

Over the years, it is clear that Tarantino has fallen in love more with writing. He said publically if he didn’t find the right actor to play Han Landa in the film Inglorious Basterds he was ready to just stop there and publish the screenplay. Luckily, he found Christoph Waltz to play the role, and the rest is history.

“When I write a movie, I want to write a piece of literature.I want to write a novel. I want to say, if I just stopped right here, and did not make a movie, that would be good enough.”

After hearing this, it’s no surprise that Tarantino wants to focus his attention toward writing novels and plays after retires from filmmaking after he makes two more films.

9. Steal like an artist.

Stealing like an artist isn’t actually theft. Rather, it means borrowing inspiration from other sources you love. There is no doubt that Tarantino steals like an artist. For example, in Kill Bill, The Bride wears a yellow suit that is very similar to the suit that Bruce Lee wore in Game of Death.

The beginning of Inglourious Basterds actually mirrors a scene in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. It’s not a ripoff, but the scene is definitely inspired by that movie.

In many ways, Tarantino took the idea from one scene in a movie, and then he made it even better by taking it to another level. Remember, Tarantino is a student of film. He reaches deep into all of his film knowledge and then sprinkles in ideas from the movies that he loves in his own movie.

Here is a formula of sorts that you can use in your own writing.

Your Inspiration + Your Idea = Something New

The key is to never settle for just one form of inspiration. When you continually inspire yourself by filling yourself with new content, you can keep things fresh and be more creative.

10. Don’t be afraid to toy with the audience.

Tarantino enjoys playing the audience like a puppet. This approach is built right into the screenplay. He wants to make you laugh and make you laugh and then shock you. Consider the backseat scene in Pulp Fiction. That’s there to shock you, startle you and move the story forward. It may even make you laugh some to yourself. It’s all there by design.

Tarantino wants to make you laugh again and then disgust you. When the end user goes on a roller coaster ride, Tarantino says, “That’s a real experience. That’s what I call going to see a movie. That’s worth leaving the house for.”

The Take Away

As writers, we can all learn something from Tarantino’s approach. Maybe you need to spend more time thinking about the backstories to your characters. Or maybe you need to simplify your own writing process.

While no one else can write like Tarantino, you can take some of these concepts and apply them to your own writing. I’d like to leave you with one last quote from Tarantino. I read it as a call for you to carry the torch. To keep creating. To keep writing. To inspire others to do the same.

“I make movies that I hope will inspire other people to make movies.” 

Quentin Tarantino